Horny Goat Oktoberfest

A perfect fall day comes every so often. Football cheers echo over the sound of the crisp breeze through the crimson, ochre, and gold leaves trees. Of course, a beer can compliment this day almost perfectly (but if you look hard enough, you could find a beer for any sort of day). Luckily, many breweries have learned how to emulate perfect falls days, often releasing seasonal brews, and just as often calling this beer “Oktoberfest.” Horny Goat, based out of Stevens Point, does nothing different.

Horny Goat is not a brewery that takes itself too seriously. It boasts titles like “Horny Blonde,” “Exposed,” and “Hopped Up and Horny.” However, the Oktoberfest seems to transcend the humor and delivers on the quintessential falls experience.

The problem with fall is that it is bittersweet. The weather is much more tolerable, neither too hot or cold. It’s sweatshirt weather, beckoning a stroll around town or a long game of touch football. However, winter’s angry shadow looms. I’m not the biggest fan of winter. During autumn, good times happen.

The Horny Goat Oktoberfest shares the same bittersweet qualities. Initially, the beer is bitter and hoppy. It lacks depth and much flavor. However, the more you drink it, the more you drink it, the better it gets. Although the bitterness remains throughout the finish, sweet, caramel flavors sprout forth. Hidden behind the initial, strong flavors hides cinnamon and baked fruit, which is just terrific on a fall day as today.